Many years ago, Francis H. Cook, pioneer Spokane newspaper editor, acquired land on the summit of the mountain, built a cabin there, and began a campaign to have the area set aside as a recreational center. For a long time the only way to reach the summit was by trail; then a poor road was built; as of 1941 the construction of a good road with an easy grade brought the park within an hour’s drive from Spokane.
From the lower pine-covered slopes the road winds upward, skirting the great ledges of weather-stained granite that jut out from the mountain side. Many species of wildflowers grow profusely on the forest floor, and in the open spaces are clumps of mountain ash, heavily loaded with scarlet berries in summer and early fall. The slopes are often carpeted with Indian bear grass, its great white tufts like ice cream cones on two-foot stalks.
The bare summit on the mountain is a mass of light gray granite flecked with mica. On bright, clear days the granite appears almost white and the mica flashes in the sunlight. It is not surprising that the local Indians came to associate the mountain with the supernatural; and the Spokane (Ind. Spehkunne, “sun people”) apparently felt that they had a particularly close spiritual association with the sun.
This 24,240-acre park includes Mt. Spokane and Mt. Kit Carson. In recent years Mount Spokane has become a popular skiing center. Easily accessible from Spokane and other population centers in eastern Washington, the snow-covered slopes attract hundreds of skiers every week-end during the winter months. Ski tournaments are held here by the Spokane Ski Club.
Recreation options are plentiful, including picnicking, hiking, horseback riding, viewing, camping, sledding, and snowmobiling.